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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. B. IBBOTSON. FISH PLATE FOR RAILWAY RAILS.

I No. 467,812. Patented Jan. 26, 1892,.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets8heet 2.

A. B. IBBOTSON. FISH PLATE FOB RAILWAY RAILS.

No. 467,812. Patented Jan. 26, 1892.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3; A. B. IBBOTSON. FISH PLATE FOR RAILWAYRAILS.

No. 467,812. Patented Jan. 26, 1892..

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED BUCKINGIIAM IBBOTSON, OF SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND.

FISH-PLATE FOR RAILWAY-RAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 467,812, dated January26, 1892.

Application filed June 1, 1891. Serial No. 394,720. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED BUOKINGHAM IBBOTSON, merchant, a subject ofthe Queen of Great Britain, and a resident of Shefiield, England,haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in and relating to Fish-Plates for RailWayRaiIs, of which the following is a specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention is designed to provide more efficiently and economicallythan heretofore for uniting the ends of railway-rails; and my saidinvention comprises improved fishplates, the durability of which will bemuch greater than that of the fish-plates hitherto employed, whether thelatter are of the ordinary form or of the form known as deepfish-plates.

The fish-plates ordinarily employed, when first applied to the rails,bear at their upper and lower edges against the under side of the headsand the upper side of the feet of the rails, and the surface of eachfish-plate is in contact with the rails only at these parts, there beinga space between the inner surface of each fish-plate and the web of therails, so that as the rails and fish-plates become worn down on theirrespective bearing parts where in contact the said fish -plates can fromtime to time be further tightened up again upon the rails by thefish-bolts and nuts used therewith and will thus be brought closer tothe said web. \Vhen, however, a sufficient amount of wear of the railsand fishplates has taken place between their respective parts that arein constant contact and the fish-plates have been repeatedlyretightened, the vertical inner surfaces of the fish-plates come incontact with the web of the rails, so that no further tightening up canbe effected, and it has been customary to then remove these fish-platesand substitute therefor ordinary new fish-plates which had been rolledto suit the section of new rails, and which therefore do not properlyfill up the spaces in worn rails; but by my invention I provide animproved fish-plate, the durability of which is not only more thandouble that of an ordinary fish-plate, but which affords very muchgreater vertical support to the rails than the ordinary fish-plates. Forthis purpose I make each of myimproved fish-plates double andreversible-that is to say, my improved reversible fish-plate consists ofa single piece of metal resembling two fish plates, one slightly largerthan the other, united together by solid metal, so that when the railsand the bearing-surfaces of the smaller or first operative partorsectionof my reversible fish-plate are too much worn for this smaller or firstoperative part or section to be of any further service the fish-platecan be reversed and the bearing-surfaces of the larger or secondoperative part or section thereof be caused to bear properly against therails and fill up the increased space left between the head and foot ofthe rails by reason of the wear of the same.

I make the distance between the bearing surfaces of the operative partor section of the reversible fish-plate to be used second (at ter therail has been worn) so much greater than that between thebearing-surfaces of the operative part or section to be used first(before the rails are worn) as to compensate for the wear of the rails,which occurs while the smaller or first operative part or section is inuse for connecting the said rails. Therefore when it becomes necessaryby reason of the wear of the sloping parts of the rails and of thesmaller or first operative part of my rereversible fish-plate firstputin use to reverse the said fish-plate the larger orsecond operativepart or section thereof will correspond to the greater space (caused bywear) between the head and foot of the rails, the space between theinner surface of the larger or second operative part or section of thereversible fish-plate and the web of the rails being equal or aboutequal to that which existed between the inner surface of the smaller orfirst operative part or section of the reversible fish-plate and the webof the rails when the smaller or first operative part of my saidreversible fish-plate was first applied to the rails.

In the accolnpanyingdrawings I have shown various forms or modificationsof my double reversible fish-plates.

Figure 1 is a transverse section through a rail-joint fastened with twoof my reversible fish-plates and showing the bearing-surfaces b b of thesmaller or first operative part or section thereof bearing against thesides near ICO the ends of new rails of corresponding section. Fig. 2 isa similar view showing the said fish-plates reversed after some wear andshowing the bearing surfaces 1) b of the larger or second operative partor section thereof bearing against the sides near the ends of worn railsand filling up the greater space due to wear of the rails. It will be observed in this figure that the distance between the plates and the webof the rail is the same or about the same as in Fig. 1 when the rail wasnew. Fig. 8 shows in transverse section another form of my reversiblefish-plate. Fig. 4 is a side elevation, and Fig. 5 a transverse sectionshowing two'of my deep-dipping reversible fish-plates applied to therails. Fig. 6 is a transverse section illustrating a slight modificationin the form of my deep-dipping reversible fish-plates. Fig. 7 is atransverse section showing a rail to which are applied two of mylaterally-extended reversible fishplates. Figs. 8 and 9 are transversesections showing a further modification of my said invention.

Like letters indicate corresponding parts.

throughout the drawings.

a a are the rails.

b b are the two operative parts or sections of my improved reversiblefish-plate.

b b are recesses in the fish-plates.

b b are ribs for distinguishing first from second operative parts.

b b are projecting ribs to produce in dentations in the upper surface ofthe rail-foot.

a a are indentations in the rail-foot.

0 care the fish-bolts,which are provided with nuts 61.

2 indicates by dotted lines and arrow-points the distance between thebearing-surfaces of the portion to be used first, and y indicates bydotted lines and arrow-points the distance between the bearing-surfacesof the portion to be used second.

Each of the reversible fish-plates shown in Figs. 1 and 2 consists of asingle piece of metal somewhat resembling at first sight twoordinary-fish-plates placed back to back and solidly united; but theoperative part or section I) of each reversible fish-plate, which. is tobe put in use first, is made to fit new or unworn rails, as shown inFig. 1.

The operative part or section b of each reversible fish-plate, which isto be put in use last, has its bearing-surfaces at a greater distanceapart than those of the section bthat is to say, the distance betweenthe bearing-surfaces 19 at the line y is so much greater than thatbetween the bearing-surfaces b at the line .2 that when thebearing-surfaces of the latter section and of the rails in contact witheach other become worn to' such an extent that no further tightening upof this section is practicable, then the section b will properly fit theworn rails as if the rails had. not been worn, as shown, for example, inFig. 2. v I find it advantageous to reduce the thickness or distancebetween the sides of my reversible fish-plate, except at the operativeedges thereof, so as to facilitate the punching of the bolt-holes. Forthis purpose the-fishplates shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are made with arecess 11 in each side thereof, and I may so form my said reversiblefish-plates that the bolt-heads will fit into either of the saidrecesses b and the bolts will thus be restrained from rotation, for, asis well known, I can then dispense with square holes in my reversiblefish-plates and with square necks on the fislrbolts. It is evident,however, thatI can, if desired, make the said reversible fish-plateswithout such recesses, as shown in Fig. 3.

According to another modification of my said invention illustrated inFigs. 4 and 5 my improved reversible fish-plate consists of a singlepiece of metal somewhat resembling in shape or configuration what isknown as a deep-dipping fish-plate, excepting that in an ordinarydeep-dipping fish-plate only the upper part is designed to bear againstthe rails, the deep-dipping part being for vertical strength and .notcapable, by reason of its section, of being reversed, while in myimproved deep-dipping reversible fish-plate the deep-dipping part is sodesigned-21 6., made larger than the upper part-as to be capable, whenreversed after wear of rail, of filling up 'the increased space causedby wear of the rail.

One of the operative parts or sections 1) b b b of my said reversiblefish-plate dips be low the base of the rails and is beneath and parallelto the other part or section, and has its upper edge united by solidmetal to the lower edge of the latter, the operative part or section notin use for the time being facing outward below the rail and theoperative part in use being recessed inward against the sloping parts ofthe rails without touching the web of the rails, so that the lower ordipping part or section for the time being will be clear of the foot ofthe rails. By these means when the rails and the smaller or firstoperative part or section b of my reversible fishplates become worn tosuch an extent that such smaller or first operative part or section ofthe reversible fish plates can no longer be caused to bear tightly atthe upper and lower edges against the sloping parts of the said railsthe reversible fish-plate can be reversed or inverted and thedeep-dipping larger second operative part b be placed against thesloping bearing-surfaces of the worn rails, and thus become theimmediately-operative part or section, and filling up the space causedby wear be bolted as securely thereto as if the rails and reversiblefish-plates were new. In some instances I form a rib or projection b onthe smaller or first operative part or section b which is to be firstapplied to the rails, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, so that a plate-layercan easily distinguish this smaller or first operative part or sectionfrom the larger or second operative part or section bwhen applying thereversible fish-plates to the rails. To reduce the weight of myreversible fish-plate recesses 11 may be formed in the sections 1) b, asshown in Fig. 6.

According to a further modification of my invention, instead of formingmy reversible fish-plates so that they shallbe used as shown in Figs. 1and 2, or as deep-dipping reversible fish-plates, as above described, Iextend the operative part thereof which is not in usee., the larger orsmaller operative part, as the case may befrom the rails outward at anysuitable angle to that part whichis bolted to the rails, but bypreference at such an angle that it shall be at or about the same levelas the bottom of the rails, as shown in Fig. 7, so that it may, ifdesired, rest upon the jointsleepers or other sleepers and untilrequired to be reversed,be bolted, or spiked thereto to prevent therails from creeping on the sleepers and to give the rails at theirjoints additional support. It must, however, be understood it is not afish-plate of angle form in the ordinary sense of the term, but rather alaterally-extendin g form, because, as will be seen in Fig. 7, thefish-plate dips down as far as the sleeper under the joint will allow itto dip, and thus gives the before-mentioned additional advantage of agreatly-increased vertical support to the rails.

In the case of flat-bottomed rails it may be advantageous to constructmy improved reversible fish-plate with a projecting rib Z),

. as shown in Fig. 8, so that the projecting rib Z) of the smaller orfirst operative part orsection Z) thereof will gradually in course ofwear form a depression or indentation a in the upper surface of the footof the rails, and the projecting rib Z7 of the larger or secondoperative part or section b, when placed in its turn in position againstthe rails, will fit into and fill up such depression or indentation a,while no part of the reversible fish-plate will be liable to take abearing against the foot of the rails at any point farther from thecenter of the rails than the said indentations 0.. I thus provide notonly for the increased life of the reversible fish-plate, but also forthe diminishing of the stress to which the bolts and nuts are subjected,and in the case of my reversible deep-dipping and laterally-extendedfish-plates I am enabled to diminish to some extent the weight of suchreversible fishplates. Fig. 9 is the same as Fig. 8, but with myreversible fish-plate applied to old or worn flat-bottomed rails. Thelarger or second operative part is here shown in position, theprojecting ribs Z) being firmly seated in the indentations a, which weregradually in course of wear made in the upper surface of the foot of therail by the projecting ribs b of the smaller or first operative part.

It will be readily seen that when the smaller or first operative part ofmy reversible fish plate is worn out the larger or second oper ativepart can be fixed in its place against the rails, and the secondoperative part being made larger than the first operative part, as abovedescribed, will afford a much better fitting support to the already-wornrails than would a new fish-plate that has been rolled to fit railswhich had not been worn. Consequently my improved reversible fish-plate,being made with one operative part larger than the other, will beserviceable for a longer period than two of the ordinary fish-plates.Moreover, by making fish-plates in the manner above described Iconsiderably increase the strength and rigidity thereof.

I find it important in all cases that the boltholes of both theoperative faces or parts of my fish-plates should in position onlye a,not necessarily in shapeprecisely correspond with the holes in therails.

In order to obtain the great desideratum of all eminent railwayengineers-win, one continuous strength of line-I use, in connection orin combination with my improved reversible fish-plates, what are knownasIbbotsons steel fish-bolts with self-locking steel nuts of the mostapproved type, now patented and used in many countries.

\Vhat I claim is- A reversible fish-plate formed in one piece and havingtwo distinct operative parts and four bearing-surfaces,- each of thesaid operative parts having two bearing-surfaces distinct from both ofthe bearing-surfaces of the other of the said parts, the saidbearing-surfaces being adapted to engage with the sloping parts underthe head and above the foot of the rails and so constructed that whileone part of the fish-plate has such a distance between its twobearing-surfaces as to adapt it for use with new rails the other of thesaid parts has a greater distance between its two bearingsurfaces and isthus adapted to iit and properly support the same rails when thesaid'slopin g parts of the rails andthe bearing-surfaces of the firstoperative partpf the fish-plate are so far worn as to render the saidfirst operative part incapable of properly supporting the rails,substantially as described.

In testimonywhereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED BUCKINGHAM IBBOTSON.

Witnesses:

BENJ. BURDEKIN,

Sol). and lVotary Public, Sheffield. 0. IIoBBIs,

Hrs Clerk.

IIO

